Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Warblers the last few days including an impressive mixed flock this morning

Cape May Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Cape May Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Northern Parula, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Northern Parula, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Tennessee Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Black and White Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Black throated Green Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
American Redstart, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Ovenbird, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Bay breasted Warbler, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2023
Cape May Warbler, Ware, MA, Sep 19, 2023

Yesterday was mainly a rain out with very few warblers around as low pressure moved up along a cold front and kept the day very wet.  Today was much nicer with a mix of sun and clouds and a steadily increasing wind out of the northwest.  I was out early before the winds kicked up too badly and had a some stuff at my first couple stops but it was fairly lacking overall in the warbler department.  All that changed with my next stop when I ran across a large mixed flock in a very small area that contained 14 species of warblers (including several Cape May Warblers and Tennessee Warblers)...always fun to try to sort through them all as they rapidly move around feeding.  The next few nights look to feature some good migration conditions and I suspect the next few morning could produce some good numbers and diversity.  The trick is finding the right edge habitat as the sun warms up the cold morning and the birds and bugs get active.

Northern Parula, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2023
Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2023

After I got out of work on Sunday morning I headed over to Arcadia which turned out to be very slow with just half a dozen species of warblers...very quiet for mid September.  I added a couple more species in the East Meadows but most areas there were quiet too, especially as the morning warmed up.

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